| 1. |
- Edvardsson, Johannes, et al.
(author)
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Old wood in a new light : an online dendrochronological database
- 2023
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In: International Journal of Wood Culture. - : Brill Academic Publishers. - 2772-3194 .- 2772-3186. ; 3:1-3, s. 442-463
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Old Wood in a New Light database project focuses on the digitization and accessibility of the results of dendrochronological samples analyzed and archived at four Swedish university-based tree-ring laboratories at Lund University, Stockholm University, University of Gothenburg, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Collaboration with the Environmental Archaeology Laboratory and Humlab at Umeå University enables long-term open access to data, raw data, and metadata. In this project, we (1) systematically undertake large-scale entry and open access publication of results from wood samples scientifically analyzed and archived by Swedish laboratories and the associated metadata, into the Strategic Environmental Archaeology Database (SEAD; www.sead.se) research data infrastructure, and (2) actively promote the database as a resource for new and ongoing interdisciplinary research initiatives. Including dendrochronological data in SEAD infrastructure allows interdisciplinary studies that combine major scientific and societal questions. Building on a pilot study of construction timber from southern Sweden and adaptation of SEAD digitization workflows, more than 70 000 samples archived at the four dendrochronological laboratories are now being handled in the project. The broad coverage of research networks, stakeholder interaction, and strategic support from the cultural heritage community is guaranteed owing to the ongoing collaboration between laboratories and an established international and multidisciplinary reference group.
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| 2. |
- Morrison, Kathleen D., et al.
(author)
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Mapping past human land use using archaeological data : A new classification for global land use synthesis and data harmonization
- 2021
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 16:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the 12,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, human activities led to significant changes in land cover, plant and animal distributions, surface hydrology, and biochemical cycles. Earth system models suggest that this anthropogenic land cover change influenced regional and global climate. However, the representation of past land use in earth system models is currently oversimplified. As a result, there are large uncertainties in the current understanding of the past and current state of the earth system. In order to improve representation of the variety and scale of impacts that past land use had on the earth system, a global effort is underway to aggregate and synthesize archaeological and historical evidence of land use systems. Here we present a simple, hierarchical classification of land use systems designed to be used with archaeological and historical data at a global scale and a schema of codes that identify land use practices common to a range of systems, both implemented in a geospatial database. The classification scheme and database resulted from an extensive process of consultation with researchers worldwide. Our scheme is designed to deliver consistent, empirically robust data for the improvement of land use models, while simultaneously allowing for a comparative, detailed mapping of land use relevant to the needs of historical scholars. To illustrate the benefits of the classification scheme and methods for mapping historical land use, we apply it to Mesopotamia and Arabia at 6 kya (c. 4000 BCE). The scheme will be used to describe land use by the Past Global Changes (PAGES) LandCover6k working group, an international project comprised of archaeologists, historians, geographers, paleoecologists, and modelers. Beyond this, the scheme has a wide utility for creating a common language between research and policy communities, linking archaeologists with climate modelers, biodiversity conservation workers and initiatives.
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| 3. |
- Buckland, Paul, et al.
(author)
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Edlington Wood : using Lidar to put ancient fields and old excavations into their contemporary landscape
- 2020
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In: Transactions of the Hunter Archaeological Society. - Sheffield : The Hunter Archaeological Society. - 0966-2251. ; 29, s. 84-101
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Roman sites in Edlington Wood, three miles west-south-west of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, first came to wider notice as a result of finds by the woodman in the 1930s and the material was of sufficient interest for Philip Corder to use it as the basis for a paper in a festschrift to O. G. S. Crawford. Most of these finds and later material were deposited in Doncaster Museum, although others went to the owners and local metal detectorists. In 1970 a threat of quarrying led to a detailed survey of the site by the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments and limited excavation on one site. Two large areas within the Wood were cleared but remain as improved grassland. The recent availability of Lidar imagery allows the occupation sites and fragments of field system located by ground survey to be placed in a broader context of small rectangular fields and some attempt at a landscape chronology to be made. The cultivation of the fields in a system of cord rig is discussed.
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| 4. |
- Buckland, Philip I., Dr. 1973-, et al.
(author)
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When a Waterhole is Full of Dung : An Illustration of the Importance of Environmental Evidence for Refining Archaeological Interpretation of Excavated Features
- 2019
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In: Archaeometry. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 61:4, s. 977-990
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Prehistoric field systems sometimes encompass excavated, pit-like features which are difficult to classify due to the complex stratigraphies resulting from reuse, infilling and collapse. They are frequently classified as wells and watering holes, but other potential uses for excavated depressions are rarely cited. We argue the need for environmental archaeology in the interpretation of features of this nature, and present a case study from a Bronze Age site at Pode Hole, near Peterborough (UK), where fossil insect material clearly contradicts the archaeological interpretation. We present empirical evidence for a sealed context filled with dung which cannot be interpreted as a water source. This evidence strongly contrasts with other superficially similar features at the site.
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| 5. |
- Linderholm, Johan, 1963-, et al.
(author)
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Ørlandet Iron Age settlement pattern development: Geoarchaeology (geochemistry and soil micromorphology) and plant macrofossils
- 2019
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In: Environment and Settlement: Ørland 600 BC–AD 1250. - : Nordic Open Access Scholarly Publishing (NOASP). - 9788202664831 - 9788202595319 ; , s. 107-134
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Macrofossil and geoarchaeological data from a variety of contexts and periods at Vik can provide either in situ or proxyinformation on the human – environment interactions at the site through time. The aim of this paper is to discuss settlementactivity patterns through time and space, with special emphasis on agriculture and animal husbandry strategies. The calcareousshell bank deposits at the site led to a reduction of the amount of analysed citric soluble phosphate and are apparentlyalso linked to very poor macrofossil preservation. The analysis shows that farming in the pre-Roman Iron Age involvedanimal management and manuring of fields where naked and hulled barley were cultivated. Stock was kept in the long houses.There are also indications that animals grazed along the shore. In the Roman Iron Age there is no clear evidence of keepinglivestock indoors; byre residues were instead found in house-associated waste heaps, where chemical data indicate thatdung was left to ferment. Near-house Roman Iron Age waste deposits were also characterised by latrine and fish processingwaste, as well as by high temperature artisan residues – fuel ash and iron working materials. Analysis of soil chemical samplesindicates an increase and intensification of occupation over time during the pre-Roman Iron Age and the Roman Iron Age.Viking-medieval features were also a remarkable source for monitoring latrine, byre and industrial waste, including the secondaryuse of water holes and wells that supplied water to both people and animals.
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| 6. |
- Pilotto, Francesca, et al.
(author)
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Biodiversity shifts : data-driven insights from modern ecology, archaeology, and quaternary sciences
- 2024
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- To understand the implications of past changes in climate, landscape and human activity on contemporary biodiversity patterns, data from modern and palaeoecological studies must be connected. The Strategic Environmental Archaeology Database (SEAD) provides access to big data from archaeology and Quaternary science and is an enormous potential resource for investigating past changes in biodiversity. By linking SEAD to SBDI, past species distributions can be analysed for their implications for landscape and climate change. Recent macroecological research using SEAD/ SBDI illustrates trends in Late Holocene anthropogenic landscape change in north-western Europe. Over the past few thousand years, humans have impacted insect biodiversity as much as climate change did after the last Ice Age. This demonstrates that data from archaeology, and the consequences of human activity, are essential for fulfilling the promi- se of using data driven ecology for guiding future conservation practices in response to climate change.
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| 7. |
- Pilotto, Francesca, et al.
(author)
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Late Holocene anthropogenic landscape change in northwestern Europe impacted insect biodiversity as much as climate change did after the last Ice Age
- 2022
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In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : Royal Society Publishing. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 289:1977
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Since the last Ice Age (ca 115 000–11 700 years ago), the geographical ranges of most plants and animals have shifted, expanded or contracted. Understanding the timing, geographical patterns and drivers of past changes in insect communities is essential for evaluating the biodiversity implications of future climate changes, yet our knowledge of long-term patterns is limited. We applied a network modelling approach to the recent fossil record of northwestern European beetles to investigate how their taxonomic and trait composition changed during the past 16 000 years. We found two major changes in beetle faunas 4000–3500 and 10 000–9500 years ago, coinciding with periods of human population growth in the Late Holocene and climate warming in the Early Holocene. Our results demonstrate that humans have affected insect biodiversity since at least the introduction of agropastoralism, with landscape-scale effects that can be observed at sites away from areas of direct human impact.
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